Renting a Car at Haneda, Narita or Kansai Airport: Pickup and Return

At Haneda and Narita you do not collect the car at the terminal. You check in at a company counter in the arrivals area, ride a free shuttle to a store outside the airport, sign the contract there and drive off. At Kansai Airport the five major companies all have their counters in the Aeroplaza building next to the station, so there is no shuttle.

This guide covers Toyota Rent a Car, Nippon Rent-A-Car, ORIX Rent a Car, Times Car Rental and Nissan Rent a Car at Haneda and Kansai, and the first four at Narita. Hours and shuttle times are those shown on 26 October 2026.

How airport pickup works in Japan

1. Book the store that matches your terminal. At Haneda, Toyota runs one store for Terminals 1 and 2 and another for Terminal 3. Enter your flight number when you book.
2. Go to the company counter after customs. Some counters are unstaffed. At those you call the store on a direct phone at the counter, or check in on a tablet.
3. Ride the shuttle to the store. Expect 15 to 40 minutes depending on the company and traffic, plus waiting time for the shuttle.
4. Sign the contract and check the car at the store. This is where staff look at your licence and documents.
5. Return the car to the same store, not the terminal. The store's shuttle takes you back to departures.

Store opening hours are the hard limit. If you reach the counter after the store closes, most companies hand over the car the next day.

Haneda Airport: counters, shuttles and hours

Haneda has three terminals. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 handle domestic flights, and Terminal 2 also has some ANA international flights. Terminal 3 is the international terminal. Every store below is outside the airport.

• Toyota: book the domestic store if you land at Terminal 1 or 2, including on an ANA international flight, and the international store if you land at Terminal 3.
• Nippon: when the shuttle is busy, staff may ask you to travel between the airport and the store by taxi or train. At busy times you may start from its Haneda Support Center, about a 10-minute walk from the store towards Otorii Station.
• ORIX: for a departure between 21:00 and 22:00, call the store directly, because the shuttle stops at 21:00.
• Nissan: at Terminal 3 the shuttle picks you up in the rental car waiting area on 1F of the P5 car park. If no one is at a counter, take a ticket from the machine and call the store on the counter phone or your own phone. If you are in a hurry, you can go by taxi or by Keikyu train to Anamori-inari Station at your own cost.

Narita Airport: counters, shuttles and hours

Narita's rental car counters are on 1F of Terminal 1 (Central Building) and 1F of Terminal 2 (Main Building). Terminal 3 has no rental car counters. If you land there, go to Terminal 2.

• Toyota: after you check in, walk to the shuttle stop. From Terminal 1, cross the road from Central Exit C1 and turn left to bus stop 20. From Terminal 2, cross from North Exit 2 and turn left to bus stop 29.
• Nippon: if you arrive by train, use the Terminal 2 counter. The last car goes out at 20:00, because immigration can take a long time; after that you are served the next day.
• ORIX: the shuttle does not go to Terminal 3, and it does not run outside store hours.
• From Terminal 3 to Terminal 2: walk the access corridor, about 500 m and about 15 minutes, or take the free inter-terminal shuttle bus.

Kansai Airport: every counter is in the Aeroplaza

All five companies serve customers in the Aeroplaza, the building next to Kansai Airport Station. From Terminal 1 it is about a 3-minute walk through the 2F walkway. From Terminal 2, take the free connecting bus; the Aeroplaza is right by the stop. You check in at the Aeroplaza and drive off from the airport island, so there is no shuttle to wait for.

Kansai Airport (KIX) and Osaka International Airport (Itami) are different airports. Check that the store name in your booking says Kansai Airport.

Typhoons, strong winds or accidents can close the bridge to the airport island and stop the trains. Staff then cannot reach the island, and Toyota and Nippon may close their Kansai Airport stores for the day or shorten their hours. Toyota then takes calls at its reservation centre (0120-624-600, toll-free in Japan) and at Rinku Town Ekimae store (072-463-0100). Nippon takes them at its Izumisano office (050-1712-2518).

Late arrivals and flight delays

Most stores in this guide close at 20:00. If your flight lands in the evening, allow for immigration, baggage and the shuttle before you count on collecting the car that day.

• Toyota at Haneda: if you reach the airport after 20:00 because of a delay, you are served the next day. Contact the store to change or cancel.
• Times at Narita: nothing is handled after 20:00, even with a booking, a flight delay or bad weather. If you call from the counter phone before 20:00, staff will still serve you.
• Nippon at Narita: the last car goes out at 20:00.
• Nissan at Kansai: a flight delay does not extend opening hours; you are served the next business day.
• Latest closing times: at Haneda, Nissan is open 24 hours, and Nippon and ORIX close at 22:00. At Kansai, Nippon closes at 21:00.

If you land late, consider a hotel near the airport and collecting the car the next morning.

Documents to bring to the counter

• Your home driving licence, the original card.
• An International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva format, or an official Japanese translation if your licence is from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan. Which one you need, and what Japan refuses, is in our guide to driving in Japan on a foreign licence.
• Your passport. Toyota asks for it whenever you show an IDP or a foreign licence, and for cash payment.
• The credit card you booked with. Toyota requires a credit card for larger classes, and the Times stores in this guide take payment by credit card.
• The same documents for every driver. Toyota asks to see the licence and passport of each person who will drive.

ETC cards for expressway tolls

ETC is Japan's electronic toll system. With an ETC card in the car's reader, the gate opens as you pass at 20 km/h or less, and the toll is charged to the card. Without a card, you take a ticket at the entrance and pay in cash or by credit card at the exit; some toll gates do not take credit cards.

• Toyota: all four stores in this guide rent ETC cards, for ¥550 per rental. Request one when you book online. You pay the tolls when you return the car, by credit card or in cash.
• ORIX: the Haneda, Kansai Airport and Narita International Airport stores rent ETC cards.
• Nissan: the Haneda and Kansai Airport stores rent ETC cards.
• Nippon and Times: ask when you book.

Take the card out of the reader when you return the car, but never while you are passing through a toll lane.

Child seats

In Japan the driver must not carry a child under 6 without a child seat. Tell the company the children's ages when you book.

Toyota charges ¥1,650 per rental for a baby seat or child seat and ¥1,100 for a junior seat. It recommends a seat until a child can wear an adult belt properly, even after age 6. Fitting the seat correctly is your responsibility, so leave a few minutes at the store to install it.

Returning the car before your flight

At Haneda and Narita you return the car to the store, not to the terminal or an airport car park, and the store's shuttle takes you back. Add the shuttle time to the return deadline below, and refuel before you reach the store.

Toyota and Nippon do not set a fixed time. Their shuttles back to the terminal take about 15 minutes (Toyota at Narita) to 30 minutes (Nippon at Haneda and Narita). Work back from your airline's check-in deadline and allow extra time on holidays.

At Kansai, Nippon customers park in the rental car return area and then check in at the 2F counter. Leaving the car is not the end of the return.

Map codes for the return

A map code is a number you can type into the car's navigation system to find a place. These are the codes the companies give for their return points.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pick up the car right outside the terminal?

Not at Haneda or Narita with the companies in this guide. You check in at the terminal and ride a shuttle to a store outside the airport. At Kansai Airport you check in at the Aeroplaza next to the station and leave from the airport island without a shuttle.

Can I leave the car at the airport car park?

No. At Haneda and Narita you return the car to the store and take the shuttle back to the terminal. Toyota and Nissan state that returns to the airport itself are not possible.

Which Haneda counter do I use for an ANA international flight?

ANA international flights that arrive at Terminal 2 use the Terminal 2 counters. With Toyota, that means booking the domestic store, which serves Terminals 1 and 2.

I land at Narita Terminal 3. Where do I go?

Go to Terminal 2, through the access corridor (about 15 minutes on foot) or by the free inter-terminal bus, and check in at your company's Terminal 2 counter. ORIX's shuttle does not go to Terminal 3, so the same applies on your way home.

Do I pay a toll to return a car at Kansai Airport?

Yes. Driving back onto the airport island costs a ¥940 bridge toll, paid at the toll gate. Times also charges the bridge usage tax.

Related guides

• Driving in Japan on a foreign licence: IDP or translation
• Best car rental companies in Japan compared
• JDM car rental in Tokyo